Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

St. Mary's University Athletics

Official Athletics Site of St. Mary's University

Scoreboard

Pato Botello
Antonio Morano Photography
2
Winner Lubbock Christian LCU (9-6-3)
1
St. Mary's STMU (10-5-3)
Winner
Lubbock Christian LCU
(9-6-3)
2
Final
1
St. Mary's STMU
(10-5-3)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Lubbock Christian LCU 2 0 2
St. Mary's STMU 1 0 1

Game Recap: Men's Soccer | | RattlerAthletics.com

Magical season ends in heartbreak for @StMUmsoccer

By Brian Magloyoan | St. Mary's Athletics Communications
 
SAN ANTONIO — The first home playoff match in the history of St. Mary's Men's Soccer ended in a devastating 2-1 loss to Lubbock Christian on Tuesday night.
 
The No. 3 Rattlers hosted the No. 6-seeded Chaps in the quarterfinals of the 2018 Heartland Conference Championships, 10 days removed from their last meeting on Oct. 20. Unfortunately for the Rattlers, the result wouldn't be the same as they became the second-straight third seed to be upset in the quarterfinals of the Heartland Conference Tournament. 
 
In the opening minutes, the playoff intensity was apparent at Sigma Beta Chi Field as the Chaps struck first in the 14th minute. Just over five minutes later, the senior sensation Pato Botello Faz rose to the occasion, connecting on a header off a corner kick from Nenad Markovic. The goal marked Botello's 18th of the year, the second-highest total for a single season in the history of the program.
 
A Chap goal in the 26th minute would ultimately decide the match as the Rattlers were held without a goal in the second half.
 
St. Mary's wouldn't go away quietly as they dominated possession through the final 45 minutes. Outshooting the Chaps 8-2 in the second half, the Rattlers had a number of opportunities get turned back by LCU goalkeeper Braxton Thorne.
 
Botello had a chance to tie the match in dramatic fashion with a bicycle kick, that brought flashbacks to his first-career goal four years ago, only to have Thorne usher it aside.
 
Entering the late stages of the match, the Rattlers loaded their line up with five attackers, Botello, Markovic, Ollie Wright, Max De Leon and Aidan Henry, in an attempt to produce an equalizing goal.
 
Then, with less than three minutes left in the match, Wright was one-on-one against Thorne who turned away a well-placed shot that could have forced overtime. Instead, the Chaps came out victorious, advancing to the semifinals, ending a memorable season for the Rattlers.
 
A season in which the Rattlers were ranked as high as 11th nationally, saw the program earn significant victories over then-No. 8 Colorado Mines and rival St. Edward's, ending a seven-year losing streak to the Hilltoppers.
 
Under first-year head coach Johnny Clifford, the Rattlers picked up 10 wins for the second-straight year while also posting a .639 win-percentage, the best since 2002. 
 
An end to the Rattler season also meant the end to one of the most storied careers in St. Mary's history. Botello ended his four-year career with the Gold and Blue as the program's No. 3 all-time goal scorer with 39-career goals while his 93 points is fourth most in the program's history.

 
Print Friendly Version

Sponsors